Sunday Round-Up: Rue McClanahan, Michael Buble and Hollyoaks aliens?

Sunday Round-Up with Editor Doug Lambert.

I’ve been very disappointed that we’ve been unable to bring you a Sunday Round-Up for the past two weeks. But there just wasn’t enough little bits of news stories to fill it up. Thankfully we’ve now got enough stories, in fact it’s a bumper edition brimming with stories that are worthy, some that are just baffling and those we file in the folder “not worth an article of its own”.

This week Editor Doug Lambert bids farewell to a Golden Girl, finds more trouble for Ken in Coronation Street, a departure for Neighbours, a story that must have surely been made up by the Daily Star about Hollyoaks and the baffling prospect of Adrian Chilies being the face you wake up to on ITV. Plus lots more.

Steph Scully Bids Goodbye To Erinsborough

Actress Carla Bonner is leaving long running Aussie soap Neighbours when her current contract expires this September. While the actress plans new ventures bosses of the Fremantle-produced saga have said Steph won’t be killed-off in the storylines.

Neighbours‘ executive producer Susan Bower is quoted by Five as saying:

“I’m very sad that Carla is leaving us, and she knows the door is always open for Steph to return to Ramsay Street. The storylines on-air and coming up showcase what an exceptional talent Carla is, and while fans will be disappointed, I promise Steph’s farewell will be long remembered and will do the character proud.”

Bonner has been with Neighbours for eleven years

What a Face for GMTV

We’ve noticed a lot of public comments about Adrian Chiles being the “face of ITV” with some unflattering opinions about his appearance.

Surely ITV know what they’re doing. We all know the public like to wake up to happy, chirpy, smiling and bright personalities. Just because Adrian isn’t any of those doesn’t mean the new-look GMTV breakfast show is doomed to fail…

After all, the broadcaster isn’t known to deliberately sabotage things, so they flop, is it? Well if you over look Crossroads (twice), The Bill and Weavers Green to name a few. Adrian is best known in recent times for hosting The One Show with Christine Bleakley for BBC One.

Farewell To Golden Comedy legend

It was very sad news this week for fans of comedy with the news that Rue McClanahan had died after a stroke aged 76. The actress was most famous for her long running role as Blanche in Touchstone Television’s The Golden Girls alongside the late Bea Arthur and Betty White.

In recent times Rue had also proved popular with her ‘outrageous’ character Peggy in the equally as outrageous TV series Sordid Lives.

McClanahan had a successful stage career in the 1950s before entering the world of television in 1961.

In recent years she suffered from a number of health issues including undergoing operations on her knee and heart, however continued to work. She died in New York.

Pictured above: Rue with co-star Betty White. Pictured at the top of this report Rue with Bea Arthur on The Golden Girls. Picture: Ch4/Touchstone TV

Shoot The Director

Due to not having a Round-Up sooner this is a little late, but still worthy of noting I think. What was going on with the directing on An Audience With Michael Buble? I wasn’t so much dizzy as seasick.

If you’re a media student and your dippy lecturer marks you down for traditional standard production shots, email me their name. Time to shame these morons who like to give viewers headaches with wobbly, speedy shots by unleashing into the TV world such graduates who think its cool to be arty farty. On the content of the show Buble was spot-on, with a great evening of entertainment.

In Brief

EastEnders have ditched the actress who plays Lucy Beale. This is a great shame. Apparently Melissa Suffield has been sacked for unruly behaviour off set. However Ryan Thomas, who plays Jason Grimshaw in Coronation Street, has signed a new contract with the ITV soap. This despite a string of incidents – that could be described as unruly behaviour off set. In EastEnders’ case it really is their loss, as Lucy was turning out to be a great character. I’m not sure a new actress will be able to match up to Melissa’s version.

Coronation Street’s Ken Barlow, having had a fling with barge-lover Martha last year, is apparently about to get a surprise when wife Deirdre gets passionate with rent-an-escort Lewis, who has been wooing hairdresser Audrey.

Ken and Deirdre have had flings in the past, and the couple divorced, before remarrying in 2005. The latest plot The Sun suggests will see Deirdre caught out by CCTV footage in the bookies.

“Ken’s son Peter (Chris Gascoyne) sees the CCTV footage – and shows his dad.” The newspaper says. Ken, and Audrey, will be left disgusted by the incident.

And Finally… Can It Be True? – Alien For Hollyoaks…

When you see the words “The Daily Star report” in soap news 99% of the time they’ve just made it up. But, if as some suggest, Channel 4 are looking to rid themselves of the teen-aimed soap Hollyoaks then there might be some truth in this latest development, as reported by The Daily Star.

The paper suggests that the Lime Pictures producers are planning on introducing an alien into the saga. This, of course, would be a soap opera first in the UK. The report goes on to say that the being from outer space will come from the planet of Aecyron Proxima ­Centauri, and will be called Kevin. Kevin will mingle with the regulars of the village.

The story is said to be the brainchild of Paul ­Marquess, who has a track record of working on shows, which ultimately end up out of production. Hollyoaks in recent weeks have seen a steady decline in their weekly ratings. The figures see Channel 4 suffering some of its lowest ever in the slot with the 6.30pm half hour drawing below a million viewers per episode.